Hillary Is In

It increasingly seems likely that New York Senator Hillary Clinton is in the 2008 Democratic nomination presidential sweepstakes as she continues to solidify her positions towards the political center and center-right via actions such as this:

On the eve of the presidential inauguration, US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton last night embraced an issue some pundits say helped seal a second term for George W. Bush: acceptance of the role of faith in addressing social ills.

In a speech at a fund-raising dinner for a Boston-based organization that promotes faith-based solutions to social problems, Clinton said there has been a "false division" between faith-based approaches to social problems and respect for the separation of church of state.

"There is no contradiction between support for faith-based initiatives and upholding our constitutional principles," said Clinton, a New York Democrat who often is mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2008.

Addressing a crowd of more than 500, including many religious leaders, at Boston’s Fairmont Copley Plaza, Clinton invoked God more than half a dozen times, at one point declaring, "I’ve always been a praying person."

She said there must be room for religious people to "live out their faith in the public square."

Consider the fact that the elections begin increasingly earlier. You can already see Senator John Kerry anchoring a renewed candidacy on staunch opposition to aspects of U.S. Iraq policy. Then you have Hillary Clinton who is increasingly embracing the center and reportedly building up a good record of taking care of the folks at home. Others may make noises about getting in — but these two will be the ones to watch.